Penned by Henry
by youkillianme
Summary: In an AU in which Henry Mills never broke the Author's pen, Henry makes the difficult to decision to keep Emma Swan from venturing down into the Underworld using his own means. Will guilt consume Emma's son? Or will Henry give Emma the fairytale ending that she deserves?
1. Hot Chocolate at Granny's

Henry Mills' POV

"Mom." The single word came out painfully from Henry's mouth. It was if the word had been lodged in his throat, unwilling to leave for fear of what its impact might be on the subject. The word must have also come out quietly because Emma didn't even look in his direction. She was staring off into the void beyond his hair, through the window at Granny's diner. After a moment more of silence, Henry cleared his throat. He spoke louder this time as he repeated, "Mom."

Emma seemed to jump out of a hole in herself as her eyes fell hard on Henry. "Yeah?" Her voice was quieter than it usually was - it was very unlike the Emma Swan that he had grown familiar with over the years. Of course, everything about her since Hook's death was very unlike her. Her eyes were filled with an unfamiliar sadness, one that seemed to be deeper than what she had felt when Neal or Graham had died. Perhaps Henry should have been upset by the level of despair that Emma was feeling towards the pirate's death, but he understood (maybe more than Emma suspected) why she would feel this way. In the small amount of time that Killian had been in their lives, he had been able to make a great impression on them both. For Henry, Killian had become the father figure that even Neal had been able to be for him. For Emma, Killian had taught the Savior how to love again. They had really taught each other how to love again, honestly, as their hearts had been mourning losses that had preceded their relationship. For this reason, Henry understood why Emma was no longer acting like herself. Emma Swan, the Savior of Storybrooke, had just lost her second half. Every man that she had ever loved had died, and the weight of that was undoubtedly weighing on her more than the mere fact that she was the protector of their town.

"Killian would want you to stay here," he said after some time, his face stern. Already, Emma's eyes had diverted themselves away from him and to the hot chocolate in her hand. It was cold by now, as the two of them had been sitting in Granny's Diner for the past hour, discussing her possible trip to the Underworld. "And he _definitely_ would not want you to make a deal with the Dark - with Rumpelstiltskin." Emma's grip on the mug tightened at the sound of the Dark Ones. No doubt the memory of being a Dark One was still fresh in the Savior's mind. After all, her reasoning behind all that she had done to the citizens of Storybrooke has been for Killian, who had also been turned into a Dark One at her hands. That alone was why Henry had stopped himself short, though not short enough.

A silence similar to the one from the past hour seemed to overtake them once again and Henry shifted uneasily.

" _Convince her to stay, Henry. We can't lose her too."_ Those had been Charming's words earlier that day in the corner of the hospital room, when Killian had been officially pronounced dead.

They had asked Henry to distract Emma, but he was beginning to realize that there would be no distracting his mother from her morbid reality. Emma was shifting restlessly on her side of the booth, seemingly ready to leave the Diner right then and there. Henry had never seen her so upset before, so pained. Even Neal's death hadn't really been enough to overtake her. She was usually stronger than this... But not now. Not when her happy ending seemed to be snatched away from her. Unless, of course... She headed to the Underworld, which everyone in Storybrooke seemed to be against. No one - not even Rumpelstiltskin - had dared to venture there before, and the prospect of their Savior taking that risk was terrifying everyone. Nevertheless, Emma Swan seemed to find the trip to the Underworld promising. She believed that, like her parents, she could share her own heart with Killian. It was possible that it might work, but the Charming's were fearing the worst - that their only daughter would never return and that she would be stuck in the Underworld to suffer.

The pressure on Henry to keep Emma from leaving was immense and he could see the intense desire in her eyes to leave at that very moment.

"Mom," Henry said, once the silence had become too unbearable.

The concern that filled his voice must have been enough to pull Emma out of her own thoughts. "Yeah, Henry?" Her lips curved into a tight painful smile.

"Mom," Henry repeated, his throat tight. "I just want you to be happy again."

Emma placed her lukewarm hot chocolate on the table and, instead, took Henry's warm hands in hers. "I know, Henry. I know."

Henry smiled at Emma, knowing how he would help her achieve this happiness without her leaving the safety of Storybrooke, Maine.


	2. Operation: Happy Ending PT 1

Henry's POV

After barely speaking at Granny's diner with Emma, the mother and son parted ways. Emma, despite her obvious desire to leave Storybrooke for the Underworld, had promised Henry through gritted teeth that she would wait a day or two to think her decision over. Henry was not naive, though, and he knew that her decision had been made the moment she had run the sword through Killian's torso. If Henry did not act quickly, Emma would soon be making a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to attempt what everyone was trying to keep her from doing. Emma believed that she could split her heart between Killian and herself, but no one had ever attempted that in the Underworld, which concerned everyone except for Emma, apparently. As a result of Emma's promise to prolong this seemingly inevitable act, the Savior was probably heading to the Sheriff's office to distract herself. Henry, on the other hand, was still standing idly by the diner with his cell-phone clasped in both hands.

To: Grandma, Grandpa, Mom (Mills), Robin Hood

Message: I tried my best, but Emma still looks as if she wants to broker a deal with Rumple... soon. That said, I do think that I have a way to keep her in Storybrooke. Let's meet at Mom's house, if that is alright.

Henry waited patiently for the four responses of confirmation, which came more quickly than he expected. None of his family members were particularly savvy with technology, but the mere fact that the topic was Emma had probably helped. Nodding silently to himself, Henry replaced his phone in the pocket of his jeans before heading straight for the Mills' household. He walked with a purpose and, as such, he made it to the large white home of Regina Mills within fifteen minutes. Despite his haste, however, Henry was still the last individual to enter the home. When Regina let him in, her face soft with pity and equal anguish, Henry immediately found himself facing Snow, Charming, and Robin - all of whom were standing by the stairs that twisted up to the second floor. Silently, Henry gestured for everyone to gather in the living room with the hand that wasn't being held by Regina. As the other three moved into the other room, Henry was pulled to a gentle stop by Regina.

"Are you alright?" The question tumbled out of Regina's mouth, showing Henry that she was even less composed than he initially thought. It was very unlike her, actually, and it made Henry nervous. Although Regina hadn't cared much for Killian, the death seemed to have shaken her up as well. After all, she was part of the reason that Killian had ultimately decided to destroy the darkness. Perhaps, in her own way, Regina believed that she was part of the cause of his death.

Henry, who had stiffened at her question, forced himself to relax. "Yeah, Mom. Are _you_ okay?"

"I don't know if anyone is, Henry," Regina responded earnestly, still holding his hand, as she began to lead him to living room, where everyone had been waiting.

The faces that met him in the living room were tired, likely from a sleepless night similar to his own. He hated to see everyone like this. He hated everything about the last few hours. While it probably didn't look like it, feelings of helplessness were gripping him tightly in their hold. As he stood in front of them, prepared to share his plan, Henry did his best to shake himself loose from the feeling. They were all waiting for him to say something, but words seemed to be lost on him.

Silently, Henry pulled the most important piece of his place out of his pocket - the Author's pen.

Astonishment filled the eyes of his family members.

"Henry... I thought you got rid of that," Snow said, as her eyes began to bore into the pen.

"I lied," Henry said swiftly, as if the fact that he had lied was unimportant. The fact that he hadn't actually disposed of the Author's pen was important... just not at that very moment. The Author's pen was associated with all the evils that Isaac had committed, but Henry was going to use the pen for a good cause.

Regina's expression contorted into one of fury, but she stayed seated as silent as Charming and Robin.

"I know that I lied and I'm sorry for that, but this is the best way to keep Emma from going to the Underworld."

"How?" chimed in Charming, his expression one of disapproval.

Henry, his expression more grave than it had ever been before, said, "I'm going to write her a happy ending. Don't you think that she deserves that much?"

* * *

 _Don't forget to review each chapter. Your input will always be taken into account._


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